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The impacts of biological invasions
No full textThe Anthropocene is characterised by a continuous human‐mediated reshuffling of the distributions of species globally. Both intentional and unintentional introductions have resulted in numerous species being translocated beyond their native ranges, often leading to their establishment and subsequent spread – a process referred to as biological invasion. Biological invasions are associated with profound changes in the composition, structure, and functioning of recipient ecosystems, plus substantial financial losses and disruptions to society, culture, and human well‐being. These ecological, economic, and socio‐cultural impacts are interrelated, ubiquitous, and detrimental, yet they are often subjectively perceived or inaccurately quantified. Persistent knowledge gaps remain, however, which limit our understanding of the complex and multifaceted causes and mechanisms of invasion impacts. To overcome these gaps and comprehensively capture all related facets pertaining to the nature and diversity of invasion impact, this scoping review of academic studies, grey literature, and expert reports provides a conceptual model for interpreting invasion impacts, structured around three interrelated pillars: impact domains, challenges in the study of impacts, and available risk‐ and impact assessments. We initially explore the various mechanisms and consequences of ecological, economic, and socio‐cultural invasion impacts and their temporal dynamics, substantiating these with relevant empirical examples. We then review common challenges and fallacies in studying invasion impacts, including context specificity and inter‐comparability of impact magnitudes, challenges associated with quantifying non‐ecological impacts, and research biases, before synthesising how risks are analysed and impacts assessed, and how these assessments ultimately inform management decisions. Our review underscores the multifaceted and complex nature of invasion impacts, and that effectively addressing biological invasions requires more than isolated, reactive interventions; it calls for globally coordinated, proactive action underpinned by reliable scientific knowledge, sincere political commitment, and broad public engagement. Drawing on nearly a century of literature and global expert contributions, this work offers a comprehensive, nuanced, and timely overview of the potential consequences of biological invasions, providing a valuable foundation for informing future research directions, management interventions, and policy development
AI-powered software testing tools: full autonomy remains a distant goal
No full textAs the new Tools column editor, Im excited to kick off this role by exploring one of the most rapidly evolving areas in software engineering: AI-powered testing tools. These tools promise to transform the way we approach test automation by improving efficiency, reducing the maintenance effort of test code, and enhancing defect detection.</p
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) network proposal for a consensus gene panel for pan-cancer sequencing: a Delphi methodology
No full textThe Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) Network supports UK-wide access to experimental cancer therapies, many of which require specific genomic alterations. This study aimed to develop expert consensus on essential genes for a pan-cancer sequencing panel, involving subject matter experts (SMEs) from the ECMC Network and the pharmaceutical industry. A pilot with 8 SMEs graded 526 genes, refining the list to 210. A three-round Delphi process was then used, with SMEs iteratively evaluating each gene. In the final round, SMEs also assessed the inclusion of tumour mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and mutation types (structural variations, copy number variations, and/or fusions). Consensus was reached on a final panel of 99 genes applicable across multiple cancers. High agreement was also achieved for including TMB, MSI, and screening for structural variations, copy number variants, and fusions. The panel is intended for both adult and paediatric tumour types. This consensus-based gene panel offers a standardised approach to pan-cancer genomic screening. It supports harmonised diagnostics and could improve patient access to personalised therapies and research trials across clinical and NHS settings
Effectiveness and durability of a fourth dose of ancestral-strain mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection: a nationwide matched cohort study in Qatar
No full textConcerns about waning immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the emergence of new variants underscore the need for booster doses. Using a matched cohort design, this study evaluated the relative effectiveness and durability of a fourth dose of ancestral-strain mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273) in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to three doses, between February 10, 2021 and May 13, 2024 in Qatar. The fourth dose conferred modest additional protection against infection, with an adjusted hazard ratio for infection of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.81-1.02), corresponding to a relative vaccine effectiveness of 9.2% (95% CI: - 1.7 to 18.9%). Protection peaked within the first three months of vaccination at 35.0% (95% CI: 20.6-46.8%) but waned rapidly thereafter, becoming negligible beyond that period. These findings highlight the modest and short-term protection of ancestral-strain vaccines against omicron subvariants and support the need for next-generation vaccines offering more durable immunity
Content analysis in local government accounting – a literature review and empirical insights
No full textThis study addresses a gap in local government research by advocating for the adoption of computerised content analysis methods to analyse public service accounting texts. Despite the significant volume of textual data produced by local governments – such as financial statements, budget reports, and policy documents – traditional manual content analysis methods have limited researchers’ ability to harness these resources effectively. By employing tools such as the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC-22) software and custom Python code, this study highlights the potential of computerised approaches to enhance the depth, efficiency, and rigour of content analysis in the public sector.Using annual budget reports from eight Irish local governments as empirical examples, the study applies both standardised and customised analytical techniques to assess textual complexity, readability, sentiment and thematic trends. The findings highlight notable differences in text characteristics between urban and rural local governments and reveal temporal shifts influenced by broader policy initiatives, such as climate action planning. Additionally, the study demonstrates the advantages of combining off-the-shelf tools with tailored programming to achieve more comprehensive insights, particularly in capturing nuanced linguistic patterns.This research illuminates the value of computerised content analysis in public sector accounting research. While focusing on budgetary documents, the methods described have broader applicability to other public sector texts, paving the way for innovative research approaches in public governance and administration. <br/
Conceptual anchors in longitudinal qualitative health research; using a methodological adjunct in Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
No full textAimsTo highlight how Longitudinal Experiential Concepts can be used as conceptual anchors within Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to gain temporal interpretative phenomenological insights, a lack of which can be a criticism levelled at novice nurse or midwife researchers utilising phenomenological research methods.DesignLongitudinal Experiential Concepts were utilised as a novel methodological adjunct to Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in a study of the lived experience of perinatal anxiety by a midwife researcher.MethodLongitudinal Experiential Concepts were identified following assimilation of Group Experiential Themes and while building the interpretative narrative account across all three data collection time points, with reflexive annotations facilitating their formulation.ResultsWithin a longitudinal vertical (by time point) analysis, Longitudinal Experiential Concepts can add a horizontal view, giving a contemporaneous and dynamic perspective on the experiential threads woven throughout the temporal experience. Use of these conceptual anchors, enabled with reflexive prompts, can prevent the fragmentation that potentially occurs when examining moments in time in Longitudinal Qualitative Research, facilitate clarity in the temporal view of the whole phenomenon and enable phenomenological insights.ConclusionA novel addition to the Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method, Longitudinal Experiential Concepts as conceptual anchors can encourage deeper holistic thinking about the less immediately obvious facets of experience and temporal progression and give the novice nurse or midwife researcher a means to robustly access the phenomenological attitude. These principles may be applicable more broadly within other Longitudinal Qualitative Research approaches.Implications for the ProfessionThe use of Longitudinal Experiential Concepts in Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis can enable nurses, midwives, and other clinical health researchers to produce high-quality, robust longitudinal phenomenological research. This is important due to the popular use and value of these methods aiming to generate new understanding of health conditions and improve patient care.Patient or Public InvolvementPatients and members of the public were involved in the design of the original research study. Their contributions included reviewing study plans, ensuring the research was in line with the priorities of women experiencing poor perinatal mental health, guiding the researchers on the acceptability of the proposed approach to recruitment and data collection and reviewing participant information and study marketing materials. We gratefully acknowledge Get Me Out the Four Walls, Norfolk, for their support enabling this.<br/
Prevalence, incidence, and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy and macular edema in patients with early and late‐onset type 2 diabetes mellitus
No full textAimsTo compare the prevalence, incidence, and factors of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and macular edema (DME) in patients with early-onset (EOD) and late-onset diabetes (LOD).MethodsParticipants with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were recruited from a community-based study conducted in southern urban China. Participants were followed up for 2 years. The prevalence and incidence of DR and DME were compared between EOD (≤40 years) and LOD (>40 years) groups, and potential factors were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression.ResultsAmong 2,703 participants, 173 (6.4%) with EOD had a higher prevalence of DR than 2,530 (93.6%) with LOD (27.8% vs 15.5%, P < 0.001). Participants with EOD had a higher incidence of DR, although this difference was not statistically significant (EOD: 8.1% vs LOD: 3.6%, P = 0.12). Insulin use and higher HbA1c levels were significantly associated with DR in both EOD and LOD groups (both P < 0.05). Additionally, longer diabetes duration, higher systolic blood pressure, and the presence of albuminuria independently associated with the presence of any DR in LOD patients (all P < 0.05). For DME, HbA1c level was a significant association in EOD, while in LOD, age, BMI, insulin use, and albuminuria were significant factors (all P < 0.05).ConclusionsA higher prevalence of DR was observed among patients with early-onset T2DM in urban southern China. Timely diagnosis of DR and regular eye care services are needed for early-onset T2DM.<br/
Safer Streets, Shared Voices: Insights from public workshops on preventing violence against women and girls in outdoor public spaces in Belfast
No full textDriving enhanced exciton transfer by automatic differentiation
No full textWe model and study the processes of excitation, absorption, and transfer in various networks. The model consists of a harmonic oscillator representing a single-mode radiation field, a two-level system acting as an antenna, a network through which the excitation propagates, and another two-level system at the end serving as a sink. We investigate how off-resonant excitations can be optimally absorbed and transmitted through the network. Three strategies are considered: optimising network energies, adjusting the couplings between the radiation field, the antenna, and the network, or introducing and optimising driving fields at the start and end of the network. These strategies are tested on three different types of network with increasing complexity: nearest-neighbour and star configurations, and one associated with the Fenna–Matthews–Olson complex. The results show that, among the various strategies, the introduction of driving fields is the most effective, leading to a significant increase in the probability of reaching the sink in a given time. This result remains stable across networks of varying dimensionalities and types, and the driving process requires only a few parameters to be effective
Many-body vertex effects: Time-dependent interaction kernel with correlated multiexcitons in the Bethe-Salpeter equation
No full textBuilding on a beyond-GW many-body perturbative framework that incorporates higher-order vertex effects in the self-energy—giving rise to T-matrix and second-order exchange contributions—this approach is extended to now include the vertex derived in that work to the kernel in the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) for the reducible polarization function. This results in a frequency-dependent interaction kernel that naturally captures random phase approximation effects, dynamical excitonic interactions, and the correlated propagation of multiple correlated electron-hole pairs that model multiexcitonic (including bi- and triexcitonic) effects, relevant for nonlinear optics and high-harmonic generation. These processes emerge as a result of including the functional derivatives of the screening and vertex with respect to the Green's function in the vertex, enabling a fully , time-dependent treatment of correlation effects. By focusing on the reducible rather than irreducible polarization function, this approach provides a computationally viable framework for capturing complex many-body interactions for calculating the self-energy, optical spectra, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The resulting interaction kernel is relatively straightforward, clearly delineates the physical processes that are included and omitted, and has the same dimensionality as the conventional BSE kernel used in standard many-body perturbation theory implementations but is now itself frequency dependent. The method is expected to facilitate the integration of advanced many-body effects into state-of-the-art software packages, offering a universal and highly accurate framework for the description of subatomic correlations. Such advancements are crucial for the development of semiconductor, optoelectronic, superconducting, and antimatter technologies and ensuring that theoretical modeling evolves alongside exascale and accelerated computing